Tag Archives: School meals

VOLUNTEERS are being sought for a Clare branch of an international organisation that provides free school meals to more than two million children in 20 countries, across Africa, Asia, Latin America, Eastern Europe, and the Caribbean. Mary’s Meals was set up 20 years ago in Scotland and now has branches in several Irish towns, including Tuam and Tullamore. A drive has just gotten underway to recruit volunteers to run a fundraising unit in Clare.  “We are a true ‘no frills’ organisation”, explained Angela Moore, Supporter Engagement Officer with Mary’s Meals. “A sum of just €18.30 will feed a child every school day for the full school year. Most of the work in our programme countries, all over the world, is done by volunteers. This is a really amazing movement. We have volunteers in 20 countries, who get up every morning to support this and they even gather firewood to light the fire to cook school meals. We believe that by …

SCHOOL may be out for the foreseeable future, but, thanks to the efforts of a major Shannon food plant, school meals will now be delivered to the doors of families who need them most. Freshtoday, which had a staff of more than 30 in Shannon, was forced to cut around two-thirds of its local workforce when school closures were announced in response to the Covid-19 crisis. The company, which employs up to 240 staff nationwide, has now begun to hire some of its workers back to ensure that households in need are provided for. “As soon as schools closed, we knew that the demand from families and schools to supply food would be staggering”, said Tony Mulcahy, Managing Director of Freshtoday Clare. “We immediately set about implementing an alternative delivery method and ensuring that we could meet demand. We are pleased to say that we can offer a fortnightly delivery of groceries for each child, ensuring children have all the …